Estate planning is something most of us would rather never think about. This particular area of law is commonly associated with feelings of fear and dread, as people are forced to contemplate their own death to some extent and face the harsh reality that one day they will inevitably leave their loved ones behind.

If this sounds like you, the unfortunate truth is that this area of law is perhaps the most important of all in the context of people's everyday lives, and it can give rise to the worst consequences if left unattended.

Despite the common public perception, estate planning encompasses much more than simply writing a Will and giving gifts to named people. A Will in itself is an extremely complex and powerful instrument which can be used for dealing with assets, investments, and all types of rights and interests in a manner that YOU desire.

The worst thing that could happen is if you died intestate, leaving no Will, and your assets were distributed in accordance with the wishes of the Government and Public Trustee, which are often not in accordance with your own and can give rise to lengthy and expensive probate disputes between various parties contesting their share.

Conversely, even if a Will is drafted to your liking, it may have no provision for the event that the persons you nominated to administer your estate or become beneficiaries of it predecease you, which can give rise to such disputes again, and you may not have explored various possibilities for structuring your gifts and distribution in a tax advantageous manner.

Of course, we have all heard the horrible clichéd scenario of getting hit by a bus and becoming quadriplegic, and for the majority of us this sits at most in the farthest corners of our mind and we either ignore it or write it off as an impossibility.

However, it does happen. Most people would have nothing in place to prepare for this and ensure they are cared for, both in terms of their finances and also their physical and health care. This is why it pays to have a Power of Attorney and Enduring Guardian, which can also prove quite useful for a person still of sound mind and physical capacity.

As I said, most of us would prefer not to think about this issue, but if the overwhelming need for it was not established above, the reason Announcer Law is now providing these services stems from a personal story from Andrew and Annelise Rocks. They experienced these dangers first hand last year when a close family friend died suddenly and unexpectedly leaving two very young children and a husband, but no Will. They are still in the process of resolving probate disputes and claims, and it cannot be said how much time, effort and, most importantly, unnecessary anguish this has stirred. As such, we are pleased to advise that we are now fully operative and providing these additional services to compliment those provided by Announcer Financial Planning.

As a client of Announcer, you are about to embark on a range of somewhat complex investments and accumulate assets and wealth worth protecting.

Once again, this is not something you would normally avidly seek out, but it should now be apparent that it is an essential ingredient in every financial plan, so we suggest you look no further and do not waste any more time.